Day: April 18, 2024

The Namibian Police Force (NamPol) in the Oshikoto region have opened a case against a 23-year-old Angolan man for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl.

According to the region’s NamPol Crime Investigation Coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Titus Ekandjo on Thursday, the incident happened on Tuesday at around 21h00 at Otatashe village in the Eengodi Constituency.

The victim is a Grade 6 learner at Otatashe Primary School.

‘It is alleged that the suspect who is a neighbour to the victim entered the victim room and had sexual intercourse with her by force,’ reported Ekandjo.

He added that the suspect held the victim on the mouth for her not to scream and threatened to kill her if she happened to report the matter.

The victim reported the matter to one of the teachers at school on Wednesday.

The suspect has been arrested and will appear before the Tsumeb Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) on Wednesday held a regional stakeholder meeting at Gobabis in the Omaheke Region.

The engagement was held to introduce the commission’s regional team and to present its regional electoral calendar as the country prepares for the 2024 Presidential and National Assembly elections slated for 27 November this year.

Regional electoral officer Josef Amwandi said the meeting is for the ECN to demonstrate its preparedness in conducting elections and also to engage the stakeholders and get their inputs into the processes of elections.

‘We are having this engagement so that you can also guide us on what to do in certain circumstances. Another important reason is also for the commission to solicit resources from other institutions,’ Amwandi said.

He furthermore urged ministries, government agencies and other stakeholders from the region to help the commission with resources such as vehicles and accommodation to be utilised during the electoral process from the registration
of voters to conducting of the elections.

The voter registration in the Omaheke Region will take place from 03 June to 01 August at all 289 provisional registration points.

Regional voter and civic education officer Edward Tjituera emphasised that voter education is important as it impacts knowledge and develops citizens’ competence and confidence in the electoral processes.

It further promotes ethical behaviour in the electoral process and eradicates electoral fraud while making information available and accessible to all constituents, he said.

‘There is also civic education which is aimed at giving knowledge and understanding on the meaning of democracy, the roles, responsibilities and rights of citizens,’ Tjituera noted.

The commission, he revealed, will be deploying five youth ambassadors to encourage and make sure that young people use their rights and participate in the electoral process and called on the regional leadership to do the same in their constituencies.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

WINDHOEK: Namibia is in the process of establishing a Labour Migration Unit (LMU) to ensure policy coherence and coordination between labour migration, employment and other national policies in recognition of the wide social and economic implications of labour migration.

This is according to the Executive Director in the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation (MLIREC), Lydia Indombo, who said the unit will further promote decent work for all.

Indombo while speaking at a workshop which focused on labour migration units and critical skills in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region here Thursday, said for Namibia to ensure efficient and effective labour migration governance as well as realise tangible results, there is a need to expedite the development and implementation of national labour migration policies.

‘There is also a need for Namibia to implement strategies to effectively domesticate the Labour Migration Action Plan, as well as to be in the position to est
ablish the requisite institutional capacity for labour migration management,’ she said.

Furthermore, she added that capacity requires dedicated human resources in the LMU or departments within relevant ministries and departments responsible for labour and employment as well as strengthening inter-institutional coordination structures on labour migration.

The workshop served as a platform to share insights and best practices in crafting effective labour migration policies. Emphasising policy coherence and the importance of demand-driven approaches, participants explored avenues to optimise skills matching and anticipation within the ever-evolving socio-economic landscape.

So far only six SADC member states namely, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, Seychelles, Zambia and Zimbabwe have adopted and implemented labour migration policies and strategies while Malawi and South Africa are near adopting them.

The workshop was held in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Source: The Namibia Pr
ess Agency

Botswana’s Minister of Transport and Public Works, Eric Molale says the country continues to experience trans-boundary crime such as illicit drug trafficking, human trafficking and wildlife crime on the Trans Kalahari Corridor (TKC).

Molale was speaking during a cycling event for the TKC, in Lobatse, Botswana on Wednesday. The cycling event forms part of a series of activities planned for the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the TKC memorandum of understanding between Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. Molale also signed a recommitment pledge, that includes amongst others, the integration and seamless movement of persons and goods on the corridor.

South Africa’s Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga also signed the pledge. Namibia’s Minister of Works and Transport, John Mutorwa is also set to sign the pledge.

A total 30 cyclists from the three countries collectively are racing from Rustenburg, South Africa, via Lobatse, to Walvis Bay, Namibia. The event started on Tuesday and will end on 29 Apr
il 2024.

The event, hosted under the theme ‘Transforming the TKC into an economic corridor’ is aimed at promoting the corridor and economically developing it to benefit communities that live along the corridor.

According to Molale, the three TKC member states also continue to experience the illegal transportation of hazardous goods. He has since called on law enforcement officials to be more vigilant and ensure that the users of the corridor are compliant.

‘The message is therefore clear, we need an economic corridor that is safe, secure, efficient and that benefits communities along it. The business communities or those aspiring to venture into businesses should consider the TKC. The secretariat stands ready to assist as a study has already been conducted to identify where the devices may be established,’ Molale added.

He further maintained that the cyclists will promote safety and security along the corridor, to complement the joint law enforcement operations that the member states regularly conduct.

‘
A safe corridor will attract any users which will benefit the economies of our countries and the SADC region,’ Molale stressed.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

WINDHOEK: International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Peya Mushelenga said Namibia is following developments in the Middle East with concern.

In a statement Thursday, Mushelenga noted that the current developments risk escalating into a broader conflict in the Middle East region and beyond, ‘This is why Namibia calls for maximum restraint and not aggravating the already fragile situation in the region.’

Mushelenga said attacks and counterattacks, as well as threats of reprisals, are counterproductive to peace, which all United Nations (UN) members pledged to uphold when they applied for membership in the UN.

‘Namibia’s position is guided by our Constitution, which encourages the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means.

Therefore, Namibia wishes to call on the international community, particularly the UN, to help find an impartial diplomatic solution that would lead to lasting peace and stability in the region,’ he said.

Tensions escalated this past weekend after Iran fired 300 missil
es into Israel in retaliation for the latter’s bombing of its consulate in Damascus, Syria. The airstrike on 01 April 2024 killed 16 people, including three Iranian military commanders.

Mushelenga said his ministry has not received any reports of Namibian nationals in Israel or the affected areas and urged Namibian nationals to inform the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation (MIRCO) of their presence if they find themselves in an area that they consider unsafe. If they are safe, they are advised to take maximum precautions to ensure their safety.

Namibia, he said will continue to follow the developments and, as a responsible member of the international community, calls for calm and caution against inflaming the already tense situation.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency